Improvement in gang-plows



N, PETERS. PHOTO f UN-irren STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT l N GANG-PLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,660, dated June 19, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JAMES B. HUNTER, of Ashley, in the county of Jefferson and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved GangPlow5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure l'is a side View ot' my invention, one of the wheels of the machine being removed, as indicated by the line a: x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the line sc x', Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved gang-plow 3 and it` consists in an improved means for adjusting the plows higher or lower, as maybe desired, and also for adjusting them laterally, whereby furrows of greater or less depth and width may be made, as desired.

The invention also consists in an improved means for raising the plows out of the ground, as is necessary in drawing the machine from place to place, turnin gat the ends of afield, Src.; and the inventionA further consists in an improved means 'or adjusting' the points of the shears more or less obliquely in a downward direction, and in an improved manner of attachin g the plow-beams to the machine in order to lighten the draft.

A represents an axle, having wheels B B at its ends, and a draft-pole, O, framed into it.

D is the drivers seat, secured upon elastic supports E E, which are attached to a bar, F, secured upon the braces or hounds a a of the draft-pole.

G is a bolster, placed directly over the axle A and in thesaine plane, and tted in guides b b, attached to the axle, said guides admitting of a vertical adjustment of the bolster, which is effected by means oi' screws H H, which pass through oblong slots c in the bolster and work in nuts in the axle, the screws having collars d upon them, which work in grooved plates, c, fitted in the bolster. The upper ends of the screws H are formed with cranks for the convenience of turning them,

and by turning said screws the bolster may be adjusted higher or lower, as may be desired, and the plows also adjusted higher or lower, as their beams are attached to said b'olster, as will be hereinafter described.

The bolster may also be adjusted laterally when desired, in order to give the plows more or less land, by means ot' a screw, I, which passes horizontally through a nut in a standard, f, on the axle and passes through a vertical slot in a plate, g, at one end of the bol` ster, the screw having a head, h, at its end, so as to catch into or be connected with the plate g. By turning the screw I lthe bolster G will be moved or adjusted laterally or transversely with the machine and more or less land given the plows as may be desired. The slot in the Aplate gis sufciently long to admit of a proper degree of vertical play et' the bolster G.

J J are two plow-beams, connected by crosspieces t' i, and having each a rod, K, at their under sides, said rods passing` through guides j at the ends ot' the beams, and having their front ends itted loosely upon a rod, L, at the rear side of the bolster G, the rear ends of said lrods having nuts a* ou them.

The front cross-piece i of the beams J J has one end of a rod, M, attached to it, and this rod M is connected at its opposite end to a crank on a shaft, N, the bearings of which are underneath the axle A. This shaft N has a lever, O, connected to it, which extends forward and is within convenient reach ot' the driver on his seat D. By drawing backward the lever O the plows attached to the beams J J will be raised out of the ground, and by throwing said lever forward the plows will be lowered and allowed to penetrate the earth, the lever being held in a backward upright position by itting in a notch, k, in one of the hounds a.

In consequence of connectin g the plow-beams J J to the bolster G through the medium of the rods K, a low or under draft is obtained which lightens the draft of the machine.

P represents 'the plows, which are attached to the lower ends of standards Q, the latter passing through guides lattached to the beams YJ J, and having eyes m fitted in their upper ends, through which screw-rods n pass, the eyes m, by means of nuts o, being secured in recesses made circuinferentially in the rods a. The screw-rods n are fitted in bearings p p' on the plow-beams J J, an internal thread or nut being in one of the bearings p. By turning these screw-rods n the points or shares of the plows in ay be adjusted more or less downward, as occasion may require, to give the plows a greater or less tendency to penetrate the earth.

Thus it will be seen that the plows may, with the greatest facility, be adjusted higher or lower, according to the depth of penetration required; also readily adjusted laterally to give the plows more or less land, and the ploWs raised entirely ont of the ground when necessary; a greater or less tendency given the plows to enter the ground, and an implement of light draft obtained.

Having thus described my invention, I clai in as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. The bolster G, screws H H I, and plowbeams J J, when used in combination with the rods K L, and all arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The attaching ci' the plow-beams J J to the bolster G through the medium of the rods K', placed at the under sides of the beams J, and tted loosely at their front ends on a'rod, L, at the rear of the bolster, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The raising` of the plows P out of the ground by means of a rod, M, crank-shaft N, and lever O, all arranged substantially in the manner as and for the purpose set forth.

4. rlhe adjusting of the shares or points of the plows in a greater or less inclination downward by means ofthe screw-rods u, connected to the upper parts of the standards Q, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES B. HUNTER.

Witnesses IsAAo M. CASEY, R. T. PAGE. 

